I couldn’t keep them all to myself. Couldn’t keep it a secret from the rest of world that vegan, wheat-free, sugar-free cookies are just as chewy and fudgy and crumb-lickin’ good as those filled with butter, sugar, and regular ol’ flour. (Did you catch my review of Sweet Freedom, where I got the recipes for Chocolate Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies and Cinnamon Coffee Toffee Cookies? And did you happen to see that there’s a fabulous deal going on for this book right now? Trust me. You don’t want to miss it.)

PS. You know how I’ve been doing this wheat-dairy-sugar-free thing, but I’ve alluded to the fact that I don’t need to strictly abstain from these foods? Well that’s how it goes with this whole Chinese medicine thing I’m doing. Because I’m not actually sensitive or allergic to these foods, I can have them in moderation. My strategy has been to stick to the diet during the week and allow myself 1 or 2 exceptions on the weekends. Clearly, this cookie swap was one exception I held out for!

So what does one do at a cookie swap?

First, we started out with some sparkling beverages laced with Shannon’s ginger and rosemary infused simple syrup and freshly sugared cranberries.

There were some savory bites to prepare the palate for all the sugar to come. The best part about being friends with food bloggers is knowing that you’re always in for a treat! Shannon did it up with a few different surprises, my favorite being this autumn bruschetta. Crisp cranberry toast, ricotta, roasted butternut squash and apples, fried sage and balsamic syrup – clearly, she knew I was coming

Then it was time for the main event: cookies! Like I said, food bloggers bring it. You can trust that your very best effort in baking cookies will be reciprocated. There wasn’t a single cookie here that wasn’t worth the splurge!

But wait, there’s more. Shannon has put up a poll, where you (yeah, you!) can cast your vote for the best sounding cookie. So skip on over for full descriptions and to cast your vote. PS, I’d love yours!

To all the lovely ladies pictured above – Bridget, Lizzy, Elizabeth, Ranjani, Kerstin, Joanne, and Shannon – thank you for a fun and delicious afternoon. And an extra special thanks to Shannon for putting together this event I look forward to every year!

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